Katy Perry

Brandishing a wink and a coo with the aplomb of an assassin, Katy Perry created a distinctly new millennial pop persona: a Disney princess as imagined by Madonna. Flirty and bodacious, Perry's willingness to be controversial certainly put her on the pop-culture radar, but the reason she stayed there was her knack for blending classic pop conventions with new trends. This talent reached its apex on 2010's Teenage Dream, a blockbuster sophomore set that generated hits as diverse as its dreamily romantic title track, the cotton-candy summertime pop "California Gurls," and steely EDM variant "Firework." Still, she was canny enough to temper some of her risqué moves as her career progressed, transforming herself from the naughty cousin into an admirable big sister.

The days of “American Idol” being known as a “karaoke show,” as Katy Perry referred to it, are over. And it's all thanks to Alejandro Aranda. Even though this 25-year-old musician from Pomona, California didn't win Season 17 — he came in second place to country singer Laine Hardy — Alejandro's lasting impression on ABC's perennial reality TV show will be felt for years to come. Because he stayed true to himself as an artist week after week, we can all expect to see more original songs, more talented musicians and more singer-songwriters in future seasons. And we can't wait. “It's been such a pleasure to live in the same lifetime as you,” Katy told the humble homie during Sunday's season finale.

At least 12,000 Marvel fans want Wolverine to get a major makeover. A petition on Change.org is calling for Marvel to cast Danny DeVito as the new version of Wolverine, following Hugh Jackman's departure from the role in 2017's “Logan”. “The only man able to take the throne after Hugh Jackman,” the petition reads. “We believe that if Wolverine is to make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that the only man able to pull it off is Danny DeVito.” Few actors are as inseparable from the superheroes they portray as Jackman and Wolverine. Jackman played the gritty mutant for 17 years, dating back to the original “X-Men” film in 2000. The petition for DeVito to take over the role, has been

Throughout the "American Idol" Season 17 finale Sunday night, the winner seemed almost too obvious; especially when Alejandro Aranda, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter from Pomona, California, performed an original track called "Out Loud." At the end, the studio audience screamed and cheered so loudly that it nearly drowned out the judges. "We love you, buddy. Thanks for changing our lives," Luke Bryan told Aranda when the crowd finally settled down. If that sounds hyperbolic, earlier in the episode, Lionel Richie said, "Every once in a while, something comes along that captivates your imagination, your soul and you know that what you're looking at is the next level of something amazing." Katy